


and as we say our long goodbye

by kurtbasthallen



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 06:52:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14847863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurtbasthallen/pseuds/kurtbasthallen
Summary: ( this is very self indulgent, not gonna lie )Jack Harkness and the Doctor were old friends, bumping into each other throughout their lives and clinging to someone who knew what it was like to be near immortal. Even until the end.





	and as we say our long goodbye

Standing tall in a simple dark outfit, the man once known as Jack Harkness stared out across the horizon. A simple, beautiful day.

A smile crossed his lips when a familiar grinding of gears on an engine echoed in yhe silence. That familiar sound awakening something in him that never went away. He turned around to see the familiar TARDIS materialise, the light on top flashing in time with the sound. He had missed both of them.

After a few minutes, the man grew concerned as no one was forthcoming from the doors. He stepped up and pulled out his key. Quickly turning it in the lock, he opened the door and poked his head in to see an empty control room.

"Doctor?" His voice echoed in the quiet.

The man walked inside. He craned his neck back and forth, looking around the console. A weak noise drew his attention.

"Jack?"

Jack's gaze fell to the floor to see a handsome woman with angular features who appeared to be in her late 50s. She did not look well. Staring at him with ancient dark eyes, she beckoned him closer.

"Doctor!" He'd recognise that gaze anywhere, even on a face that was unfamiliar. He fell to his knees beside her, hands hovering. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"

The Doctor shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Jack." Her voice was soft and lilting, the sound was a comforting one. "I'm dying." A hand raised to her breast bone over her heart, massaging it softly.

Jack's brow furrowed before gently taking her shoulders. "Then, why won't you regenerate?" His question was simple, it was am obvious thing, surely?

A small turn of her lips upward. "This is my last regeneration, Jack." She moved her hand up to cup his cheek. "I wanted to die with a familiar face."

"No! There's gotta be something we can do! There's got to be!" Jack's voice grew frantic, his pitch going higher as his eyes burned. "You can't die. We still have so much to do together, you and me." He gathered her in his arms, trying to be gentle.

The Doctor's shoulders lifted a little. "I'm afraid not. I'm already on my second regeneration cycle, Jack. I should've died lifetimes ago." She wiped away the tear that had fallen down Jack's cheek.

Jack's face crumpled further. He strained to keep his gaze focussed on the woman in his lap. His best friend. His longest friend. The person who was always there when his long life grew to be too much. "But I need you. I can't live like this alone."

"You'll see me again, dear heart. This isn't the end for you." Her own sight began to blur over with tears. She didn't want to die either but she was tired. So tired. 

Jack leant down and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. Gods, he loved this being so much. He hovered with his lips just brushing her skin, closing his eyes as he tried to clear his blurred vision. He was making her hair wet. Not that he cared. Jack pulled back a little to stare back into her gaze. "Promise?"

The Doctor slightly tipped her head towards her breast bone in a nod. "Promise." She bit her lip. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you." Her voice was becoming more strained.

He tilted his head to the side, lightly sniffling.

"You will die, Jack." The Doctor shook herself a little, gaze firm. "It's still in the far future. But you will die."

Jack was staring at her, mouth agape, unable to do anything but nod.

"And I will be there. You won't be alone." Her voice grew weaker.

"Really? I won't be at the end of the universe?" There was a smile on his face now. A bittersweet feeling of relief that he would finally die but that it took his friend to her death bed to tell him. Gods, she was going to die.

The Doctor smiled back at him. "Really." Her hand fell to his shoulder, playing with the braces that were there. Different to the old Jack, but still familiar. "Being there for each other at the end, eh, dear heart?"

Jack huffed a throaty laugh, the tears having clogged his throat. "Always, Doc. Always."

Her body became more lax, her grip falling from his shoulder. "I love you, Javic, and I hope I did good."

Jack blinked at her in surprise. He had never told her his birth name. He shouldn't be surprised that she found it out, really, she was the Doctor after all, but... "I love you, too, beautiful. Always have, always will." The hand that wasn't around her back, reached for her hand to hold. "You were amazing. The universe will mourn your passing." He pulled her hand up towards his lips and placed a kiss on the back. "I hope there is an afterlife and you will see all our old friends there." He held her hand over his heart.

The Doctor smiled through her tears. "Me too, Jack." Her eyes fluttered closed, eyelids struggling to stay open. "Sing something for me, please."

Jack had to bite back a sob. He swallowed multiple times before whispering, "Okay."

" _To think I might not see those eyes_  
 _It makes it so hard not to cry_  
 _And as we say our long goodbyes_  
 _I nearly do._  
  
 _Light up, light up_  
 _As if you have a choice_  
 _Even if you cannot hear my voice_  
 _I'll be right beside you dear_  
 _Louder, louder_  
 _And we'll run for our lives_  
 _I can hardly speak I understand_  
 _Why you can't raise your voice to say_..."

**Author's Note:**

> haha, i'm not crying, you are. 
> 
> i was gonna make this a long thing about them keep meeting and reminding each other of people they had known and loved, especially jack because he didn't want to forget his torchwood team especially ianto and humans aren't built to live as long as jack so whenever they meet up, the doctor reminds jack of all the people who have had a special impact on him and jack does the same for the doctor. but i suck at writing sorry lol so just have this. 
> 
> ( also i pictured the doctor as sigourney weaver, kthxbye )


End file.
